I am posting an actual play report from our 1-on-1 game called Lambert's Quest for Redemption. The game is played with me as the Story Guide, and one of my best friends Fredrik Dahlman playing Lambert the fallen paladin.

We started the game looking for some TSoY THAC0 action. However, while we're about to finally come to some dungeon bashing scenes, we have both found that the human conflict and suffering is a lot more interesting (which is what I argued from the start).

We're having lots of fun, and really enjoy how the game puts the player squarely in the driver's seat, while the Story Guide still actively contributes to the fiction by introducing scenes and events. It's cool how the story flies along at a frantic pace until a player decides to Bring Down the Pain.

Hope you enjoy our game notes, and if you have any questions, please post them here.

Any fears of TSoY not being the right system for the play experience my friend and I was looking for was totally unfounded. We are having an absolute blast and the third session of our game was one of the best gaming experiences we've ever had! A good story game can really make the players better friends, and TSoY has done this for us, we will enjoy the memories of this experience for years to come.

If you're curious please read my actual play reports and comment here, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the game. I've tried to include mechanics and player choices in order to highlight how the game and helped support the story.

Nice to know that the game is working out for you two. You used the BDtP mechanics quite adeptly; I like how Dahlman "gave up" and allowed the trolls to escape in the third session, winning the scene by giving up the conflict. That's how the rules are supposed to work.

Also, Lambert's story is rather interesting. I hope you'll get the opportunity to play it to the end, I can't wait to see if he's going to really be recognized as a hero and a paladin again. I could see it going either way, especially if you turn up the heat as the SG.

Our trio finds the cavern with the remaining women and children, but the scene is gruesome. There are five orcs in there with them, busy with torturing the prisoners. Rage billows up withing our heroe's heart and he leaps into the cavern and quickly butchers the foul beings before they're able to react. He kicks one orc into an open iron maiden and slams it shut on him. The others meet the business end of his sword, but no less brutal deaths.

In TSoY you always get your intent if you surprise your opponent, so there was no Ability Check in this scene.

Our trio finds the cavern with the remaining women and children, but the scene is gruesome. There are five orcs in there with them, busy with torturing the prisoners. Rage billows up withing our heroe's heart and he leaps into the cavern and quickly butchers the foul beings before they're able to react. He kicks one orc into an open iron maiden and slams it shut on him. The others meet the business end of his sword, but no less brutal deaths.

In TSoY you always get your intent if you surprise your opponent, so there was no Ability Check in this scene.

Is that right? Where is that described in the rules?

Cheers,

Paul

Hello Paul,

First of all thanks a ton for reading the AP and posting a comment.

Secondly, no, I was incorrectly stating the rule on surprise situations. Probably due to reading too many other games in between sessions.

The actual rule is that for surprise situations states that you make an Unopposed Ability Check, which counts as a Resisted Ability Check leaving Bringing Down the Pain still a viable consequence of the outcome. So while you have a huge advantage, it's not quite as strong as I ruled in that scene of our game.